by David Cox
1 Corinthians 13:8 whether there be tongues, they shall cease...
Paul clearly instructed the Corinthians that tongues will cease. This is not a subject up for debate. It is a clear statement of Scripture. Whatever it is that the New Testament Christians knew as tongues, Paul instructs them that it will in the future (from 1 Corinthians 13) "cease", or terminate, or no longer exist.
This then is the question which we must investigate. What does the Bible and history show as far as the cessation of tongues.
1 Corinthians was most probably written around 55 A.D., with only Galatians and the two Thessalonian epistles being written before it. The rest of the New Testament was written after this time:
2 Corinthians 56 A.D.
Romans 57-58 A.D.
Mark and Matthew 50s-60 A.D.
Luke 60 A.D.
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Acts 61 A.D.
1 Peter 63-64 A.D.
1 Timothy, Titus 63-66 A.D.
Hebrews 64-68 A.D.
2 Peter 66 A.D.
2 Timothy 67 A.D.
Jude 70-80 A.D.
John 85-90 A.D.
John's 3 Epistles, and Revelation 90s A.D.
Therefore 1 Corinthians is one of the first epistles written to the churches. But it is strange if tongues is such an integral and important part of church life that God did not see fit to mention it in other epistles to churches in the New Testament. Tongues is missing from almost all of the New Testament. Why?
Nobody had problems with tongues except the Corinthian church. Why?
We look through church history to find the common speaking in tongues being mentioned in the early fathers as they mention various problems and different things, and we find no mention of tongues being practiced in church history (post 1 Corinthians) until 1800's with the Irvingites in Scotland. Why? It is interesting to note that with one exception, the church fathers speak (make commentary) on the passages of the Bible that mention tongues, and their comments are basically that they cannot speak particularly about tongues because they have never seen it, nor are their reports from anyone of reputable source that has witnessed it in their day. Tongues ceased.
We note that even in Paul's second epistle to Corinthians, he deals with mostly the same problems as the first epistle with the exception of one particular thing, Paul does not mention anything about tongues to the Corinthians in the second epistle. Why?
All of this is very obvious. Because tongues had ceased by the time 2 Corinthians was written, probably around 56 A.D. If Paul says it will happen, and then we see no mention of it in any form, it would be safe to say it happened. These facts should guide us and help us to form our views, opinions, and interpretation relating to tongues. Yet these facts seem to be deliberately ignored by modern tongues speakers. This is not without reason or plan.
If Paul tells the Corinthians (nobody else got this direct revelation except by reading the Corinthian letter) that tongues were to cease, and they had problems with tongues, something about it was causing a disorder or something outside of God's will was happening in their church worship services because of it, then would not this problem be related to or revolving around the fact that they were participating in something that was like tongues in Acts 2 but in reality that had already stopped?
If then we have the following facts,
(1) Paul predicts to the church who had problems with tongues that they will cease.
(2) This epistle is one of the earlier epistles.
(3) We see no mention of tongues nor presence in the second epistle to this church.
(4) In the forty years after this epistle, several different authors wrote epistles and inspired books of the Bible and none of them mention tongues.
(5) In the years after this, we see no mention of tongues among any of the churches which would be considered mainline Christianity, except for a heretical group around Montanus in 150 A.D. which died with him, until the 1800s.
Then we must conclude that during this lapse of approximately 1800 years was a cessation of tongues.
The burden of proof then falls on those who wish to revive tongues.
What Bible verse gives you the clear, direct prophecy that "tongues will be given again"? There is none.
Paul uses a very important point in his explanation to the Corinthians about why tongues will cease.
1 Corinthians 14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. 22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
One of the key points in Paul's argument with the Corinthians is that tongues were a sign, not to the believing New Testament church, but rather to the unbelieving Old Testament Jew. God predicted that they would be carried off into captivity by foreign language speaking foreigners. This happened various times in their history, and each time it was an indication of God's judgment on them because of their hardened heart towards God. The end of God's dealing with the Jew and the Jewish nation was upon them. The Jews kept their services and worship in Hebrew, and now what was hidden in their synagogues in the Hebrew language will now be proclaimed (like what God apparently wanted from the beginning) in the language of the common Gentile person.
So we understand that tongues was the nailing the coffin shut on the Jewish nation as far as being the vehicle of God accomplishing His plans and work. If this is what Paul is teaching us here, then exactly how would a revival of tongues fit into the scheme of things? Is God reopening His relationship with the Jews and the nation of Israel? Is God giving them a second change? This does not fit with our understanding of Christ's return for the church. It hasn't happened yet, and God would have to "close" things that He opened with the Gentile church, which He hasn't done. There is no indication of this.
Very simply, the reason for tongues in the first place forbids a revival of tongues in the latter times. It just does not make any sense. But the Pentecostal-Charismatic do not take tongues as a sign to the Jew, but rather as a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. This has no merit. God's presence in a person is always the same, it is holiness, a lack of sin in that person's life. What a shame these tongue speakers make out of the entire situation. Take Jimmy Swaggart for example. Speaking in tongues by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit on Sunday morning, and sleeping with prostitutes on Saturday night. Do you really think that God would give him supernatural tongues speaking when he was sinning such as this? God withholds His power and blessing when we sin, He does not give still a greater outpouring on the sinning minister.
Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
Hosea 6:3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
Zephaniah 10:1 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
With the Pentecostal-Charismatic thinking, they take the above verses as meaning as God gave tongues before, God will revive tongues once again at the end of the age. This thinking is very flawed. These verses do not permit just any interpretation, but rather they are very generalized and non-specific. They are not talking about tongues. Therefore, to apply them to tongues is to take them out of context.
If they simply state that God will bless Israel with latter rain, then it is eisegesis (put an interpretation into a passage which is not there) to jump to the conclusion that this speaks of tongues. There is no prophecy that God will give the gift of tongues such as in the days of Acts 2. If we want to interpret things this way, we can come up with God will return to animal sacrifices, or God will bring up a tree of life like Adam and Eve had to once again give us eternal life that way. All of this is fabrication of men. The Word of God does not endorse this latter rain concept being tongues.